Going to the Dark Side? Hardly.

Thanks to my talented group of friends who continue to mentor and teach me new things along the way, I am finally getting around to writing this post about the decision I made to go into consulting and what I represent to the association community now.

This is important because I spent many years at three separate associations and thought I might always work for a non-profit. Many of my closest friends today have come from my involvement with associations and only know me as "KiKi Who's Koo-Koo for Chapters!"

It was from that love for building relationships and from that passion for watching member communities grow that I found my passion for working with groups using new forms of media to reach out to members. I watched as the members in each organization struggled with many of the same processes. I learned from each instance a tough situation landed at my feet due to a lack of communication between members and national. I made really great decisions that had awesome results for my organization. Shock of all shocks, I also made mistakes. Through it all, I began to find a warm, comfortable place for myself in the association community, making friends at ASAE & The Center events and learning, always learning, from those around me.

And then, one day, I looked around and realized I had a pretty accomplished group of friends. Moreover, I had even done quite a bit myself to increase my knowledge and get "out there" to start sharing what I had learned. I tried to take the things I learned and apply them to my own job where some big and some small changes happened fairly quickly. I reviewed studies before they were published and I helped out on courses before they were announced. My participation in my professional organization was paramount to these accomplishments and opportunities and I could relate better to my own members as a result.

With all of that, I figured I would stay in the non-profit world for life. Truth is, I loved it! Of course there were the occasional personality conflicts and sticky situations, but all-in-all I had found my niche. *peaceful, happy sigh*

There was just one problem. I didn't have anywhere to go.

I couldn't see any changes for growth coming my way, which was odd to me because I felt so much attachment to the association world and to my job. Was I to be in the same position forever? I felt a little claustrophobic.

I was also concerned because I wanted to stay involved in my professional association duties, but there was less and less support for those types of activities (much less, for any additional types of professional development) due to the economy and I was taking on more and more expenses personally.

Then I began to hear from a variety of people about changes...mostly working for other organizations, but also to do this thing called "consulting"...which I dismissed at first. Sometimes after presentations people would come up to me and ask if I did consulting work on the side and I would take their cards and say, "No. But if you ever want to talk about [whatever subject I had just talked about] let me know!"

Who knew? Wish I'd kept their cards. ;-)

So here I am...a technology management consultant for DelCor. And what does that mean, exactly? Well, everyone told me it meant I was "going to the Dark Side" which is kind of a joke, but actually it feels like the world has opened up again. It means I can help the associations who are our clients leverage their use of social media successfully with their members. Not just one organization, but many! You can read more about my actual work here, but that is the gist of it.

So, association world, who is KiKi today and what does she stand for?

I help members connect and communities thrive online.

It has been over a month since I started at DelCor and I love it. The work I've done with the blog, presentations, and clients has been amazing. Within the past month I have given three presentations, written a lot of blog posts (I'm not pausing to count here), studied for and taken the CAE Exam (still waiting for the results!), and worked with a few clients. What I love about my job is there is an emphasis on learning and being a part of the community that I have grown so fond of. I'm also able to work on helping many different types of organizations solve the same types of problems I've worked on before.

So, have I gone to "the Dark Side?"  I've always looked good in black. ;-)

Poem:

Will Change Change? by Ifedayo Oshin

1.
What will happen to change?
Will change change as all things?
Or will it develop immunity
And embrace hypocrisy?
Will change resist change
And go against its doctrinaire?
Why, will change change not
Should nothing be permanent, even change?
Since change is also a thing.

2.
Our world changes daily by seconds
Our lives in the roller-coaster of time
The noon gives way to the moon
The dawn turns dusk
At intersections of these:
One enters, another exits
One moans, another mourns
One rejoices, one regrets
In the spate and space of time;
A jungle becomes a haven
The oblivious became renowned
Riches become ruins
All on the altar of change

ifedayo oshin

What If Associations Offered Free Membership for One Day...Announced Only Using Social Media

Those people over at Acronym blog have inspired me. Their month of big ideas has association bloggers buzzing and I have to admit that I've been thinking a lot about the resulting posts. What a fabulous way to wrap up the year...with our sights set firmly on the future!

My idea isn't a big one. I don't think it is even particularly clever, which is why I think every organization should adopt it. I think associations should identify one day a year for free memberships and keep it secret until the actual day...then announce it using their social media outlets.

Why do I like this idea? Because I think it is exciting to think of watching the word of mouth and viral nature of the promotion unfold during the day...there are so many things you could do with this! One thing it would do for sure is point you in the direction of the social influencers in your industry, if you don't already know who they are.

Fun messages could be prepared to go out immediately after the new members sign up, welcoming them and providing them with some online resources and groups they could join immediately to start taking advantage of their memberships...advising them to check out webinars or other types of materials a web savvy member would be interested in.

Who's in? If your organization does this or is planning to do it, please let me know about the process and results.

How to Participate in Association Chat (#assnchat) on Tweetchat

Every Tuesday at 2 p.m. Eastern, a conversation about association hot topics takes place on Twitter. Jeff De Cagna (Principled Innovation) heads up the weekly chat, although sometimes he has guest facilitators take the lead.

The conversations usually provide at least a few nuggets of helpful information making it a worthwhile hour for participants.

Not comfortable following chats on Twitter? I made a short webcast showing how to easily follow a conversation using TweetChat.



Please join the conversation!

More Event Hype: Have You Signed Up For My Talk Yet?

Next Thursday (Dec. 10) I am joining forces with smart-guy Sean Bordner to talk about "Private Social Networks vs Publicly Available Tools" at the Grand Hyatt Washington. 

I'm pretty excited about this presentation topic because it is a question a lot of association people ask me and one that I faced previously in my career. How does one know if it is enough to have a presence on Facebook and interact with members from there as opposed to using a private network built to work with a database?

Not every association has the same goals or needs. We'll get to talk about that during the session (I'll be giving examples of associations who have successfully stayed with a public social networking tool) and it should be a good time.

The event is free, but you need to register to attend. It starts at 8 a.m. and runs until 11 a.m.

If you have any suggestions about association examples I should use or if you have any questions about the event, please let me know by commenting here or emailing me at klitalien [at] delcor [dot] com.

Here's what we're scheduled to go over:

• How are associations utilizing publicly available tools?
• What is the process to follow when making the decision?
• What should you look for in a public or private solution?
• Can both options peacefully coexist within the same organization?
• How do you measure ROI for a community?
• How can you make sure that whatever you choose integrates with your overall strategy?

Hope to see you there!

Twitterverse, I Love You

I'm all about the love lately...I love gadgets, I love lurkers, and j'adore Twitter!

Why all the effusive sentiment? This morning I was meeting with a group at work discussing Twitter and I posted a number of questions to the "Twitterverse" to answer. People responded with some great tips for tools and advice on using Twitter, so I wanted to share that feedback with all of you.

It's all about the love...

• kirbstr @kikilitalien I like @SocialWhale best right now, it has a web-like interface and has great extra features #delcor
• maggielmcg RT @kikilitalien Dear Twitterverse: Please share your favorite Twitter tool! #delcor
• maggielmcg @kikilitalien Also, Twitter widget in Netvibes--has retweet feature that works the right way! #delcor
• desabol @kikilitalien My faves are SocialScope on the Blackberry. Socialite and Tweetdeck on the Mac and bit.y for shortening.
• EmilieBarta @kikilitalien My favorite Twitter tip = interact!! Don't just push out information; Twitter is a two way street.
• ericjgruber  @kikilitalien twitterfeed.com, friendorfollow.com and Mention Notifier (http://bit.ly/notifier) #delcor
• RvanHilst @kikilitalien I love Twhirl for operating both work and personal accounts at the same time. #delcor

KiKi L'Italien What is your favorite Twitter tip? I'll share it at my work meeting on Twitter this morning #delcor

Jeff De-Cagna

Use Selective Twitter status app on FB so you can choose which tweets update your FB status. Is this the kind of tip you're seeking?

4 hours ago · Delete

KiKi L'Italien

Actually, a very good one. Point taken! :)

4 hours ago · Delete

Deirdre Reid

If you're in a helpful mood and short of time, do a filter in Tweedeck by "?" and see whose questions you can answer. Good for associations!

4 hours ago · Delete

Thanks to everyone who responded! It really added to my meeting and alerted me to some good tools I wasn't aware of. Feel free to spread the love by adding more tools or tips below! :)

The 3 Most Important Benefits I Get For My Membership Dues

I just spent a couple of days in Providence, RI, with ASAE & The Center association leaders and I have come away from it with more connections, knowledge, and motivation to help get me revved up again to live life like I mean it. If anyone wants to know what they get for their membership dollars, I can tell you what my membership dollars pay for:

• Knowledge - The listservs, section councils, education sessions, publications, and other ongoing communications that add to the overall industry knowledge that is available has helped me from the very beginning of my association career. Much as the platform for the listserv conversation needs to be made more efficient, it was the first ASAE product I was drawn into and it provided the most learning for me in the early days. It also helped acquaint me with some of the big names in the association world.
  
• Connections -I love the Annual Meeting, with all of its ups and downs, because I get to learn from the most experienced and interesting minds in the community in the hallways and at the social functions. I back up what Jeff Hurt said recently about challenging conference attendees and speakers to put more effort into making the best of the learning sessions and opportunities available for teaching at the meetings. I have never walked away from a conference or workshop without learning something extremely valuable to help me do better in my career and for the industry. The times when I have learned the least have been when I haven't participated as fully as I should have in one way or another.
  
• Experience - ASAE & The Center has afforded me the opportunities to volunteer for councils, task forces, and all kinds of activities which have enabled me to learn detailed data about studies related to my work and have helped me to hone a variety of leadership skills. Through my volunteer efforts I have been able to fully embrace the importance of what all of us do for our organizations' members and in that way I think I will always find myself evangelizing membership. Passion is not too emotional of a word to use.  If a person isn't passionate about their industry, learning, career, community, money, or anything else influenced by the power of an association; then what else? 

While I was at the ASAE & The Center Leadership Retreat I received valuable career advice from friends who make hundreds of dollars per hour for consulting. This isn't the first time that has happened (and I'm fairly certain it won't be the last). But what am I giving back to ASAE as a result of their help in making this exchange possible on an ongoing basis?

• My energy and time - Because of ASAE & The Center's investment in me, I am going back to my council (I am vice-chair for the Component Relations Section Council) with a new commitment to helping the rest of the group get the most out of their time as possible by leading in a way that will help them and the Society.
• My money - I recently donated to the Annual Fund for Research & Innovation and I am going to be posting and tweeting occasionally about this on an ongoing basis to see if I can get my friends to do it, too.  [I'd like to check in with ASAE and see if there is a way that I could prove to ASAE that the association blogger and Twitter community can put up some serious dough...maybe get a code and more price points at which to donate online ($100 is the least amount you can donate easily online right now) so that we could show our strength. I'll let you know if anything like that comes together. :)]
• My attention - I will care about ASAE. I will talk about ASAE. I will share news about ASAE and with that attention others will see how much value I place with my involvement. If people see how much I get from my experience, then maybe they will join or participate more, too. This may seem like the most passive of the three ways I am giving back, but it could be the most valuable in the long run.

What do you get from your memberships? What do you give back?

The Stress Check List: New Job

Years ago I read a stress list that featured all the life changing things that could cause one to be overly anxious or depressed. On the list were the usual suspects: divorce, death, trauma were included. There were also a few that one may not expect, such as marriage, giving birth, and changing jobs. It's this third one that I've been experiencing recently and I can say that anxiety is most definitely a part of my life right now.

My new job is fantastic - that's the positive side of the coin. The people I work with seem especially smart and funny while the balance between life and work is a priority from the top.

But no matter how amazing the workplace is, it cannot change the fear I have of smiling and having something stuck in my teeth - forever branding me in their minds as "the slob." (check)

...or of having lipstick smeared on my face. (check)

...or of forgetting someone's name. (check)

...or of forgetting some code and locking myself out of the suite. (check)

Everytime I open my mouth to say something, it is likely that at least one person in the room hasn't heard me speak before, so I am hyper aware what I say could impact their view of me for years to come. No pressure.

After working at my previous job almost five years, it is hard to start over and to learn the ins-and-outs of the communal kitchen: rules for sharing office creamer and the labeling laws for food kept in the refrigerator. These things are still marked "tentative" in my brain.

Also, I am going from working for associations to working for associations as a consultant. There is a difference there.

Still, as anxious as I am, I have a lot of nervous excitement for this new direction. I am working on a subject I'm passionate about and I now have a legitimate reason for reading materials about social media and technology for communities. Fabulous news!

I know this is an unusual departure from my typical blog posts here on Acronym Soup, but I was thinking of all the people I knwo who are going through job changes and I felt compelled to share my thoughts. If anyone wants to share similar stories or tips for starting out on the right foot with a new job, please post! How do you start your day? What are some things to avoid? Please share!

Etiquette and the Perfect Lunch Spot

There is a great bookstore off of Dupont Circle in DC called Kramerbooks & Afterwords. They have a special brunch on the weekends and a knowledgeable staff in their bookstore. When Monica Lewinsky's receipt from the store came to light during the most heated portion of the Clinton-intern scandal, Kramerbooks refused to share the details of her purchase.  They are that solid in their commitment to their patrons.

I may be slightly exaggerating when I say Kramerbooks stands for the last bastion of respect for the intelligentsia in DC. But, I am in no way overstating it when I say, Kramerbooks has a great lunch menu and drink specials.

Because they do.

In fact, if their lunch menu was less inviting, I may not have ventured there  today for my business meeting with a couple of colleagues. If their atmosphere were less inviting, I may not have entered into a fascinating dialogue with a few patrons about social media and etiquette.

Our conversation centered around the pervasive use of smart phones and the way people use them in social settings. Each person shared their own experiences with people answering phones or texting away during otherwise intimate moments with friends.

And the conversation got me to thinking...:

• I hadn't taken my smart phone out during our conversation
• Would it one day be acceptable to interrupt the current conversation for phone or text (except in emergency?)
• Was it already acceptable and I didn't know it?
• What does this mean for meeting attendees?
• We really need an etiquette guide/baseline for meeting attendees and speakers
• Oh yeah, I've been working on this very issue with a few association people...better get back to it!

A few weeks ago on the weekly #assnchat Twitter conversation (facilitated by Jeff De Cagna), a group of us discussed putting one of these etiquette guides together. The idea was to create something as a guideline for attendees and speakers to reference for social media use during a meeting.

My conversation with the patrons at Kramerbooks today reminded me that people were still looking for guidance with this kind of behaviour...and that we need to start working on this project again as a community.

Issues we will address:

• acknowledging the meeting's social media policy
• acknowledging the speaker's social media policy
• public disclosure about using SM during a session
• your rights, rules, and risks when using SM during a meeting
• what to include in a meeting program about social media

If anyone is interested in working with a group of us on an association social media etiquette guide for meetings, please email me at klitalien@delcor.com.

If anyone is interested in learning more about Kramerbooks' drink specials, check out their online menu. :)

Social Media Show & Tell

Happy (New) Media Monday!
Association professionals are buzzing about their latest forays into social media and it is high time we gather together and share our stories, don’t you agree?

You are invited to call in to the “Social Media Show & Tell” this Wednesday at noon ET for this month’s CRP Virtual Lunch. Just have your latest example on hand and we will share our stories and answer questions for others on the call. If you would like to share your story, please email me before Wednesday and I will be sure to introduce you to the group!

Bring your coolest social media success or just listen to everyone else's for ideas! We will have examples in specific areas, such as:

- Social Media for Member Engagement

- Social Media for Events

- Social Media for Project Collaboration

- Social Media for Fundraising

The Twitter hashtag for the CRP calls is #CRPLunch.

Register at http://bit.ly/2Ap2EN.

Dial in number: 218-936-7979

Passcode: 189780

You can earn 1 CAE point by registering and participating in this event.

The Day After

My flight landed at the BWI airport around 11:20 last night and this morning I am debating whether to continue writing this very sentence or to jump back into bed for at least 20 more minutes of shut eye.

Friends, this could be a very short post.

After every big conference I attend, I like to sit and go through a digital brain dump, whereby I look at all my notes from the conference - all the business cards I've collected - and try to save it all in some kind of meaningful way that will help me or someone else in the future. Reason being, my mind starts letting go of the context for my notes very quickly after writing them.

Here is a random Top 10 List of things I learned during this recent trip to the OSA Frontiers in Optics Annual Meeting in San Jose, California:

1. Fly Virgin every time you can when flying to the West Coast. I was able to comfortably work away online with my very own outlet under my seat powering up my laptop and cell phone during the entire flight. The wifi worked great and my seat was super comfortable. The ability to work during the long flight from DC to California was fantastic! Plus, the food you can order at your seat is the best airplane food I've eaten so far.

2. Always make sure you have the appropriate adapter for the LCD projector when using a Mac laptop. I ended up locating mine in the bottom of my laptop bag, but I panicked for a little bit.

3. The official Twitter hashtag for a conference is a necessity for organizing large groups of people for social events (or any other events) on the fly.  Make things easy for conference attendees by having large monitors displaying the hashtag feed in appealing way (using Twitterfall or Visible Tweets) so that even the Luddites in the crowd can be informed of the latest conversation about the conference.

4. Free drink tickets make you everybody's friend. :)

5. Attendees are expecting wifi to be available everywhere. They will miss it if you don't have it.

6. Protein bars and Starbucks Via instant coffee: Must-haves for the conference suitcase!

7. Use the Bump application if you have an iPhone. Anyone who has an iPhone can easily transfer contact information with another iPhone user just by using this free application. So much easier than trying to hold on to business cards all evening long. I wish they had this available across all smart phones and with an easy way to organize new contacts by tagging, but maybe in a couple years...

8. Conference organizers: Have a few free registrations that you give out to members who agree to blog about the conference daily. You will not be sorry. These bloggers will not only help archive the member-experience for your conference, but will also add to the overall buzz. At this conference, bloggers had identifying ribbons and the association promoted the blogs before and during the conference. This should be something you offer for every conference - the promotion pays for the registration.

9. Looking for a good giveaway idea? Multi USB ports. Thumb drives. Laser pointers. And yes, hand sanitizer. These things stick around and people love them.


10. Idea: Have a "photobooth" kiosk in which people can either add their comments about the conference and have it automatically tagged with your hashtag and added to the Twitter stream displayed on your Twitter monitors, and/or record a short 2 minute video with their thoughts about the conference that is posted to the conference's official broadcasting site. I haven't seen this done yet, but it would be amazing to have on site and is totally doable.